Storm Watch

5 years ago

Holocaust Survivor Dies in Irene Flood

CJ Gunther / Landov

Two days after the storm blew through, the death toll of Hurricane Irene continues to rise as rivers flood upstate New York and Vermont. Forty people are now said to have died as a result of the storm, including an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor who drowned at a cabin in the Catskills. Three of those deaths occurred in Vermont, where many towns are cut off by the flooding. “It's just devastating," said Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin. "It’s probably the toughest flooding that we've seen in the state of Vermont in our history." In Guilderland, N.Y., a couple clung to a tree for two hours, screaming for help as floodwaters rushed by, until they were finally rescued.